11. Connor
Chapter 11
Connor
I t’s so good to have Minnie in my arms, to know that she doesn’t hate me for the way I shouted and ran off. When we get to the bottom of all this, I’m going to tell her how I really feel, make sure she understands. After we’ve figured out what to do about Jimmy. His daughter is waiting at the medical center. One of the nurses there is taking care of her while he sorts out what to do with the café. He’s still sitting with us outside the closed doors.
He sighs, looks at us sadly. “We thought it was nearly over, she was getting better. Usually, her mom—my ex, her name’s Jenny—does a lot of the appointments. There are so many tests… the doctors have made it easier and are working with the medical center in the mall so that we can do the tests here. It’s not so scary for Harper, and we—Jenny and I—can get her here easily.”
“Bro, I didn’t even know you had a daughter,” I say again. It’s hard to hide the shock that still hasn’t abated from when I found him at the medical center at the south entrance of the mall. He was sitting in the waiting room holding hands with a pale little black-haired girl.
“Yeah, well I don’t usually have her during the week, but when Harper’s condition got worse, my ex couldn’t do all the appointments herself. It’s hard with the café, running the business and everything.”
I know Minnie’s thinking this through as I can feel her nodding against my chest. I bet her warm heart is touched, too. I stroke her back while I’m standing there.
Then she pipes up. “Jimmy, if you need time off, we can cover for you. But we need a plan. And we need to know ahead of time so we can run the place properly.”
“Yeah, well, I always think we’ll get through somehow. Just these last couple weeks have been worse than usual. We’ve been told she needs to go back to the hospital and Jenny is out of town with a friend in Constellation Bay. She’s burnt out.” His shoulders slump.
Minnie steps out from my arms to look at me and I look at her. I nod, encouraging her to make some of her suggestions.
Jimmy listens with uncommon patience while Minnie and I spend some time pointing out how we could streamline the running of the café, and we are so engrossed in our ideas that I don’t notice when Tor joins us. It seems like Tor’s assessed the situation as she quickly starts making some helpful comments as well.
“Jimmy, I can help with the ordering,” Tor chimes in, smiling and nodding.
Minnie nods enthusiastically. “Yeah, Tor knows so much about catering. She’s working at the Masford Sauce Factory now, but she worked in a famous restaurant for years before that.”
Tor pats Jimmy on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Jimmy. I can also take a shift from time to time. My day at the factory starts early and finishes early, so maybe I can come help at closing time and do preparation for the next day. If we incorporate some of Minnie’s suggestions, I’m confident we can get some high-turnover items more profitable and save you loads of money. We can help you, Jimmy, we just need to know what’s going on.” Tor’s green eyes are flashing as she looks from me to Minnie. I’ve never seen her so passionate, and it makes me wonder what really drives her.
Jimmy stands up, brushing his hand across his eyes. “Well, guys, I don’t know what to say. Thanks so much for your support. Minnie, you’ll be in charge. I’m happy for you to supervise. Tor, it’s great to have your help. I’m going to have to go get Harper from the nurses now, and I can’t come back for a week, as she’s due at the hospital tomorrow.”
He looks stricken, but I give him a soft slap on the shoulder. “Leave it to us,” I say. We do an awkward bro hug.
Tor looks at the two of us. “Let’s get tomorrow’s ordering done now so Minnie’s got everything under control. Jimmy, we’ll need Paige and Andy to come in to help with the staffing. Are they rostered this week?”
“No, I haven’t done the roster!” He puts both hands on his head as if to stop it bursting open. “I was just going to leave the café closed.”
Tor nods. “Don’t worry, Jimmy. If you can give us their contact details, then Connor and Minnie can make sure we have just the right amount of staff. I think you’ll find that if you let us do the schedules and planning, you’ll see your profits go up, too.” I make a mental note that Tor needs to be put on the payroll. This operation could run so much smoother and it’s our chance to show him.
Jimmy holds his hands up as if in surrender. He’s realized there’s nothing else he can do. He shakes my hand and waves, then nods at the girls as he goes.
We set ourselves up in a booth at the rear of the closed café with the laptop and menus, and Tor, Minnie, and I make a plan for the week, focusing on tomorrow first. Once we’re finished, Tor goes off to do her workout at Roasters. But Minnie and I have been making eyes at each other, and the desire to be alone together in the deserted café after closing time outweighs our desire to go back to the gym. After I see Tor out, I make sure the café door is latched.
“Did you end up having to cancel your clients today?” Minnie asks me, concern in her beautiful eyes.
I’ve been stealing glances at her for the last two hours, watching as she and Tor have done most of the planning. I’ve memorized lots of important details like the angle of her chin when she turns her head, and the smooth, rounded ends of her fingernails as she makes notes.
“I’d only scheduled a few clients today as I was going to work on my Instagram for the boot camp. Yolanda was able to step in for me, she owes me heaps.”
“Oh, Connor, let’s do your Instagram now. I can help you!”
She’s sitting on the other side of the booth, clearing space in front of the laptop, so I slide out and move over to be next to her.
I slide close, intent on looking at the laptop screen. My phone is in my hand, and I bring it to life, but when I turn to look at Minnie, all thoughts of Meta and the boot camp disappear. Her blue eyes are like mosaics, the pupils large and inky-deep.
Next thing I know, I’m dropping my mouth on hers. She opens her lips and I search them with my tongue. She sucks gently, her lips stroking mine, our tongues together at last. There’s not a lot of room in the booth but it’s private from the front of the café with a trellis that reaches to the ceiling covered in an artificial vine. I hold her face and she puts her hand on my shoulder as I deepen our kiss.